Monday January 17, 2005 7:03 pm

Electronic Arts and ESPN Sign Exclusive 15 Year Deal

EA has been on a rampage as of late. First, they sign an exclusive deal with the NFL giving them sole rights to make games based on the NFL for the next five years. Then they do the same with the AFL for four years. Now, it seems they pulled off the coupe de grace - EA has signed an exclusive deal with ESPN which makes Electronic Arts the only publisher with the ability to make sports games under the ESPN brand. This means that the days of Madden vs ESPN NFL are over. While the deal is signed for 15 years, there is a clause that says that the option of ending it after 10 years is a possibility. Sucks to be Sega right about now.